From the President

As we continue to see a spread of COVID-19 throughout the United States, we want you to know that the health and safety of Discovery Place guests and employees is our top priority. We are closely monitoring the recommendations of the CDC and our local and state health departments and are following all guidelines provided by these organizations.

Currently, the Mecklenburg County Health Department has advised that the risk of spread in North Carolina remains low, and they are encouraging citizens to continue with daily life while taking precautions such as increased handwashing and staying home if you aren’t feeling well.

Discovery Place museums remain open under normal business hours and operations, but we are taking many steps to keep our guests and staff healthy and prevent the spread of COVID-19:

• We clean frequently. While we’ve always cleaned throughout the day, we’ve now introduced a cleaning cycle every two to three hours at all of the Museums. The details vary by Museum due to the different exhibits and traffic areas, but every Museum in the Discovery Place family is being actively cleaned throughout the day. In addition, we have a routine schedule for deep cleaning, wiping down surfaces and disinfecting manipulatives.
• We bring in professionals. Our Museums are cleaned daily by a professional cleaning service. This cleaning team uses EPA approved, hospital-grade disinfectants and has increased the frequency of their daily cleaning cycles.
• We use CDC approved products. The products we use to clean the Museums have been recommended by the CDC as being effective against COVID-19.
• We encourage clean hands. Everyone can help keep the Museums clean by washing their hands. We’ve increased the availability of hand sanitizers and installed signs that promote hand washing.

In addition, to help our community understand the science behind COVID-19 we have installed a new pop-up display in Tryon St. and 6th St. admissions at Discovery Place Science. The display, which is free of charge to the public, explains what a virus is, how it spreads, the characteristics of COVID-19 and why it is important for scientists in different countries to share information.

We are closely monitoring the situation and adjusting to any new developments. We will communicate any changes through our website, email and social media channels.

For more information about COVID-19 and how it is impacting the Charlotte region, visit the Mecklenburg County Department of Health.